Employees Overwhelmed by Complex Health Options

As the healthcare market shifts toward individual responsibility, a survey found many workers are overwhelmed by the complexity of their healthcare options and many have a poor understanding of the benefits of health savings accounts.

In its “State of Denial” survey of more than 1,000 healthcare consumers, healthcare solutions provider Alegeus found many don’t have adequate knowledge to make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage. Further, the survey found:

26 percent don’t know they can use funds beyond the immediate plan year.

“There is greater adoption of HSAs and health reimbursement arrangements, but we have a great deal of distance to go before people are empowered and informed healthcare consumers,” John Young, CEO of ConsumerDriven, told Employee Benefit News.

The survey also found:

66 percent of consumers rate planning for out-of-pocket costs as the most challenging and stressful aspect of managing their healthcare,

50 percent don’t know how to predict current or future out-of-pocket healthcare costs or determine the appropriate savings vehicle or rate,

“There is also a dichotomy of what people say is important and what they really do,” Young told Employee Benefit News. “There are a number of people who say, ‘I am going to do more, I will take a more active role in my healthcare,’ but when you look at the results, very few people sign up for the tools that are available to them.”

Additionally, more than 75 percent of consumers are fearful of their healthcare finances. This hinders consumers from taking ownership of their healthcare finances. It’s evident that consumers need significant support to overcome these fears, the authors wrote.

The survey found:

51 percent of consumers fear being hit with an unexpected, unaffordable healthcare expense before they’ve built their healthcare savings,

46 percent fear they may not be able to afford the healthcare their family needs, and

45 percent fear they may not be saving appropriately because they don’t know how much they are likely to spend.

The reasons for this confusion involve the abundance of health insurance plans, confusing and contradictory options, and complex technical jargon.

“This research affirms that consumers feel the impact of the consumerism movement in healthcare and they need help to manage their increased financial responsibilities,” Alegeus CEO Steven Auerbach told Employee Benefit News. “There is tremendous opportunity for the future winners in healthcare to create a real environment that supports and guides consumers.”

To address this situation, the benefits industry must improve its outreach efforts to employees.

“It is clear there is work to do to bridge the gap between what consumers say they want and what they’re properly equipped and motivated to do,” the authors wrote. “Consumers believe healthcare providers can improve their personal healthcare experience.”